Turbine bucket-wheel.



No. 876,123. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

J. WILKINSON. TURBINE BUCKET WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4,1906.

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JAMES WILKINSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILKINSON TURBINE COMPANY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

TURBINE BUCKET-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed June 4. 1906. Serial No. 320.113.

upon the mounting and fastening ofthe individual buckets on the wheel as now practiced and to enable the entire ring of'buckets, or any segment thereof, to be securely connected to the wheel by the casting of what I term the wheel rim around the inner ends of the buckets and the periphery of the-wheel web to cast-,joint the parts together without amalgamation. I propose to use tubular buckets or such as are formed from tubular stockfrolled or shaped to, give the desired cross-sectional design for the bucket. In particular Iv use a novel form of buck rt ormed with an integral stiffening web which braces its concave and convex faces against collapse. I also intend providing an outer band "for the buckets and connecting it to holding pieces which are cast-jointedto the rim and pass through the hollow buckets. To increase thestrength of the cast-joint, the portions of the web and buckets, around which the rim is cast, may be shouldered and i also notched or perforated so that the rim is- -trated in the accompanying drawings, in

positively locked to both by a cast-'oint of the required strength. After the uckets have been thus secured by the cast and positive-lock 'oint to the wheel, the wheel may be turnetf in a lathe to give it the proper form, and then banded.

My invention, in its preferred form, is illuswhichz u Figure 1, is a sectional vlew through a portion of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is a side elevation shown in artial section along the line 23-25, Fig. l. igl. 3 is a plan view of part of the wheel Wit the band broken away.

I with 4, illustrates the openings in the band which receives the holding pieces. Fig. 5, is an end View of one of the buckets showing hand holding pieces of circular cross-section. Fig. 6, IS a view of a row of buckets and a portion of the wheel web in position for which the wheel rim or segment is cast to joint them together.

Similar reference numerals-refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, I provide a wheel web 1 of any desired metal, preferably nickeled steel, having a flanged periphery 2 provided with a plurahty of transverse openings 3. I prefer to use hollow buckets 4, manufactured from tubular stock which-is sha ed to the re-' quired design and provide with integral stifl'enin webs 5 formed by bending in a part of one of the curved bucket faces until it en'- gages the inner wall of the opposite face. I prefer to form the web from the convex face. Notches or perforations 6 are provided at one end of the buckets.

To secure the buckets to the web I provide any suitable molding apparatus such as a cope 7 and a drag 8 and form in the sand therein a segmental orannular mold cavity 9 into which the flanged and perforated periphery of the wheel web, projects. .The

buckets are also arranged in a ring or segmental row in any suitable manner, preferably by being baked in' a core 10 which fills in and between the'buckets, leaving only their inner,

notched or perforated ends'free thereof. In order toprovide for banding the buckets, I insert hand holding metallic pieces 11 through the buckets before forming the core, two pieces being preferably passed through each bucket and placed against and on each side of the web 5. pieces project beyond both ends-of the buckets. The bucket core 10, as thus formed, is placed in the mold so as .to form the outer peripheral wall for the mold cavity 9 into which the inner ends of the buckets and pieces 11 project.

relation to the web'l, I provide two hi nular grooves 12 in the periphery 2 which are adapted to receive the inner ends of the holding pieces 11', the outer ends of which enter a pairof openings 13 in a band 14 or a segment thereof which is also included in the The pieces are thus held at both ends core.

The inner ends of these To center the buckets so as to grip the webs 5 between them and insure the proper posltionmg of the buckets ets to the we) or even a large segment, I provide the web with a plurahty of radial slots- 15 which will take up the rim expansion without warping the web.

The molten metal by which the buckets and web are to be cast-jointed and which is to form the castrim, is poured into the mold cavity 9 in the usual-manner. It is desirable that this metal should'have a lower melting point than the metal of whichthe buckets. are formed. \Vhen this metal is iron it is also desirable to coat the. exposed ends of the buckets with a composition, such as tin or copper, which will aid in preventing the carbon in the iron entering the steel bucketsduring molding. The band 14 is removed to enable the sand to be knockedout of the buckets, after which the pieces are again passed through the openings 13 and turned to lock the hand against the outer ends of the buckets without it being directly connected thereto.

When I refer to casting the wheel rim around the buckets and peripheryv of the web, it will be understood that the rim may be cast as a whole or in segments as may be desired. Any manner of molding now commonly practiced may be used in casting the rim.

What I claim as, new and desire to secure bylietters Patent, is

1. As an article of manufacture, a turbine bucket wheel comprising aweb, a ring of buckets, and a rim cast so as to overlap the periphery of said web and the'inner ends of said buckets to unite them and form practi cally an integral body.

2 As an article of manufacture, a turbine bucket wheel comprising buckets anda wheel web which areindependently formed and subsequently connected by a cast metal rim in which both buckets and web are rooted by a cast joint withoutamalgamation.

3. As an article of nuunlfacture, a turbine bucket wheel col'nprising a radially slotted wheel web, a ring of buckets, and an interposed rim cast around the buckets and web so as to overlap the periphery of the latter.

4. As an article of manufacture, a turbine bucket wheel comprising a wheel web, a ring of buckets, and a rim portion cast around the periphery of said web-and the inner ends of g said'buckets, and means to positively lock 1 the embeddedportions of said buckets and 5 still'ening web formed by a bent portion of 5. As an article of manufacture, a turbine 5 bucket wheel having a web, a cast rim connected by a cast-. oi11t'to said web and formed of a metal having a lower melting I- point than that of said web, and a ring of individual bucketsv having perforated ends rooted in said rim by a cast-joint, substantially as described.

6. A turbine bucket wheel comprising a wheetweb, a plurality ofbuckets having openings lengthwise therethrough, a band,

band holding pieces inserted through said buckets, and a wheel rim portion to wh ch said buckets and pieces are connected by a cast-joint.

7. As an article of manufacture, a turbine bucket. wheel comprising tubular buckets which are formed with a longitudmal st1ffenrate band holding pieces disposed on each side of said Webs and cast jointed to the plurality of tubular buckets having integral mg web between their working faces, spa-.

longitudinal stiii'ening webs, band holding,-

pieces disposed on each side of said webs, an apcrtured band, and a slotted wheel web,

the ends o'fsaidpi'eces entering the apertures in said band and the slots in said webs so as to clamp the bucket webs between them and center the buckets, and a rim portion cast around the web and the inner ends'of said buckets and pieces to joint them together,

said pieces being bent tolockjsaid band around the buckets. i

9. As an article of manufacture, a' turbine bucket wheel comprising a ring of hollow buckets, an outer band therefor, and band holding pieces which pass through 'said buckets, said buckets and pieces being castjointed to a rim portion connected to said wheel.

10. A turbine bucket wheel comprising a ring of buckets, a support therefor, a band around said buckets, and band attaching members whichare embedded in said supportbv a cast-joint.

11. In a turbine bucket wheel, the combinationwith a group of hollow tubular buck ets, of a bucket support cast both'inside of and around the inner ends of the buckets, and apertures in the bucket end that is. embedded in the support. v

r2. As an article of manufacture, a concave-convex bucket formed from a tubular body andprovided with an integral stili'ening web whichb'raccs its concave and convex faces against colla )se. i

13. As an artic e'of manufacture, a concavo -couvex bucket formed from tubular stock and provided with a longitudinal & ca.vo' convex bucket formed from tubular stock and provided with a longitudmriltv disposed bracing web formed by bending inblank having radial slots in its periphery, of

individual buckets cast-jointed to said rim, and means to band the buckets together, substantially as described.

In'testiinony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES WILKINSON.

Witnesses JAMES H. NOLAN, JOHN F. GRANDFIELD. 

